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Sling Media is a new member of the cord-cutting family, and its latest offering comes in at an affordable price. The company’s newest product, Sling TV Blue, can be connected with your own internet connection or through a few active cable channels for only $25 per month—this includes 30 hours of content that you would usually need to pay over $100 monthly.
Sling TV is a streaming service that offers live and on-demand programming for cable subscribers. This service provides access to channels like ESPN, AMC, Disney Channel and more. The cost of the service is $20 per month.
Sling is a time management and scheduling program with powerful communication and tasking capabilities. While Sling did not make our ranking of the best overall staff scheduling software, it did get a good grade in our top restaurant scheduling software (earning 4.32 out of 5 stars). With fantastic price, robust tasking features, and competitive scheduling rules and messaging tools, we believe it has a lot to offer.
In a nutshell, Sling is ideal for:
- Very small enterprises on a budget: It is cost-effective for organizations with less than 10 workers since it charges by the user rather than per location.
- Businesses that want straightforward scheduling: The free version is an excellent alternative if all you require is software that allows you to arrange shifts. It also allows you to advertise shifts, manage vacation time, and send out announcements.
- Seasonal businesses: Your expenses will change to the amount of your seasonal work force if you charge per active employees.
Pay a visit to Sling
When a Sling Isn’t a Good Fit
Overview of the Sling
Pay a visit to Sling
Pricing for Slings
Sling has a free subscription that includes basic scheduling features. After that, monthly rates begin at $2 per active user. This means you’ll only be paid for the number of individuals that utilize it on a monthly basis. In fact, if someone you’ve already paid for is deactivated, you’ll get a prorated credit for the period you didn’t utilize.
Because Sling costs per employee rather than per location, it is cost-effective if you have many locations but just a few workers in each. If you simply have one location, location-based software like Homebase may be more cost-effective if you have more than 25 workers.
Features of the Sling
It just takes a few minutes to set up Sling, particularly if you use an XLS or CSV file to mass import your workers. You may encourage workers to join the app by inviting them to download it. Schedules, shift exchanges, and claiming available shifts are all handled by Sling. Individual and team Communications, auto scheduling, a time clock, and time sheets are all included in the premium plans to make payroll simpler. Continue reading to understand how to utilize Sling scheduling for your company.
Sling provides mobile and online scheduling solutions.
Time-tracking and scheduling
Create a fantastic schedule with Sling and save it as a template to reuse. Sling keeps track of availability so you don’t have to book someone for two shifts at the same time. You may either publish shifts for workers to pick from or advertise open shifts for anybody to take. The Business plan’s auto-assign shift tool may create a schedule for you by allocating staff based on their talents and availability.
Sling scheduling software (screenshot)
The paid subscriptions contain a time clock that is accessible via the App for mobile devices. You may also use it as a self-service kiosk. Employees may clock in and out using their own devices. You may create rules to prohibit employees from clocking in early and to automatically clock them out at the conclusion of their shift. When workers clock in or leave, the geofencing technologies guarantee they are in the proper area.
Communications
Sling begins by allowing workers to share schedules, create shift alarms and alerts, and switch shifts using the App for mobile devices or the desktop. Managers may get notifications when an employee is late, wants time off, or is about to work overtime, among other things. Sling also delivers announcements and event alerts, as well as private and group messaging. Employees may “like” and comment on postings in the social media-style format, and you can get alerts when messages are read.
Employees may be contacted through mobile and desktop using Sling.
App for mobile devices
The App for mobile devices offers nearly all the features found on the desktop version. Managers can create and post schedules, send announcements, and get notifications and alerts. Employees can chat with co-workers, accept open shifts, request shift trades, request time off, and get reminders about shifts. The GPS feature on the timeclock allows for geofencing and can automatically clock an employee out when they leave an area or after their shift ends.
Send messages, alerts, and push notifications to workers.
Users like the software, claiming that it is simple to use and useful for scheduling. The reminders were well received by the employees. Logging in proved to be a challenge for several individuals.
User Ratings
- With 3,758 reviews on Android, it has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
- With 21,900 reviews, iOS has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating.
Management of Tasks
Sling offers a robust Management of Tasks feature to help clarify shift duties. You can set up to-do lists for individuals, positions, or teams—breaking them down into specific actions using the SMART methodology (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound). You can also save recurring lists, such as for opening or closing, so that you can reuse them.
You can set up tasks for teams and let employees access lists from the App for mobile devices.
Checklists may be administered on mobile devices, allowing staff to check things off as they are completed, no matter where they are. Managers may use the lists to keep track of their employees’ performance.
Integrations
Sling does not yet have as many native integrations as other scheduling applications, but it is aiming to expand its list. Toast, Shopify, Square, Gusto, Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager POS, and POSitouch are among the current integrations. ADP is also being considered for future integrations.
These interfaces will make it easy to extract sales data from your POS system, transmit time sheets to your payroll provider, and sync employee data. This allows you to simplify operations and provide a more in-depth examination of labor expenses vs revenues.
Additional Payroll and HR Tools
Sling’s rule-making tools may help you remain in compliance with labor laws, and checklists can give a “paper trail” of health, safety, and other industry regulatory compliance.
At the conclusion of each pay month, Sling converts time clock data into time sheets that supervisors may review and approve. You may export them to your linked payroll system or as a CSV file after any difficulties have been resolved.
Time sheets may be exported to payroll software.
Labor, Time Off, Sales, Attendance, and Payroll reports are all available via Sling. You may also filter date ranges, locations, and other data to construct your own reports. You may also choose how you want to see time—in decimal format or by hours and minutes—and the columns of data you want in a comprehensive report.
The Ease of Using a Sling
- Templates and automated scheduling
- Tutorials on video
- Interface that is easy to use
- How-to articles with illustrations
- Highly rated App for mobile devices
- Email assistance is available 24/7.
Sling has an Interface that is easy to use that works much like its competitors—no real surprises if you are already familiar with scheduling software. The online knowledge base has a good combination of video and illustrated articles, with an effective search system. It has tools to make scheduling easier, including alerts for overtime or conflicts, auto scheduling, and pay rules for holidays.
Alternatives to the Sling
Compare Sling to our best scheduling software if you’re not sure whether it’s appropriate for you.
Users’ Opinions on Sling
Employers and workers alike praise this solution on both the desktop and mobile platforms. A few people experienced trouble logging in, but the complaints were few and far between—not enough to form a pattern. There were also a few complaints concerning sluggish loading, unable to see the schedule in vertical mode, and one user receiving a 404 error while attempting to access the current date feature.
I found the following patterns when reading customer reviews:
Conclusion
Sling is worth looking at if you need scheduling software that can manage numerous locations, has strong communication tools, and makes creating a schedule simple. It offers a free plan to get you started, or you can sign up for one of its monthly plans based on the number of employees. Give Sling a go right now.
Pay a visit to Sling
Sling TV is a streaming service that lets you watch live TV on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. The service offers more than 30 channels for $20 per month. Sling TV has recently started offering a commercial-free option for an additional $5 per month. Reference: sling login.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can managers see messages on Sling?
A: Yes, managers can view messages on the app.
Is Sling employee scheduling really free?
A: Yes, Sling TV does offer a free employee scheduling feature for their employees.
Is Sling free for employers?
A: Sling is not free for employers. Any company that has a business account can be a member.
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